wolgott



M. P. WOLCOTT.

WIRE SPLICER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1915.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

M. P. WOLCOTT.

WIRE SPLICER.

[LED APR.12|!915 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK P. WOLCOTT, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WIRE-SPLICER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application filed. April 12, 1915. Serial No. 20,665.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lllann P. l/VoLCo'rT, a citizen of the United States, residing at lvlansfield, in the county of ltichland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVireSplicers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a terminal or an approach for trolley wire apparatus, and is more particularly described as employed in connection with a trolley wire splicer, although it is obvious that it may have a more general application to insulators, wire connectors and approaches.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a. new and improved construction of this kind which will eliminate shoulders or saw cuts at the inner end of the wire embracing lips to provide an absolutely smooth underrun surface as a continuation of a wire to which it is connected.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view partly in section of a wire splicer constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken ,on the line 38 of Fig. 4:; Fig. it: is a sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a view partly in section of a different form of splicer; Fig. 6 is a view looking at the bottom of the splicer shown in Fig. 5, before the lips are bent about the wire; Fig. 7 is a view partly in section of another form of splicer; Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the structure shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 10 is a sectional view on the line 10-1O of Fig. 7

Many types of tube splicer-s in use at the present time are more or less inefiicient due to the fact that there are no lips which can be peened tightly about the wire. ltis also difficult to produce a construction in which there is an absolutely smooth underrun surface at the bottom of the sphcer makmg a smooth connection with the wire for contact with a trolley wheel. These [difficulties are overcome in the present invention by making a splicer with grooves which incline slightly upward from the ends of the splicer forming bendable lips which increase in thickness from the tips of the splicer to the extending upwardly through the member and forming a continuation of a groove 10 which extends at a slight inclination from the inclined hole 6 to the tip of the splicer. A threaded opening 8 is in communication with the hole 6 from the upper surface of the splicer and a set screw 9 is threaded therein against a wire 7 for holding the wire in place. 1

The groove 10 forms lips 11 which are tapered in width and thickness from the end of the splicer 5 so that they are thinnest at the outer end and have a relatively thick portion 12 at the inner end or at the heel 13 of the groove where the lips meet and where they are the thickest. Just above the heel 13 of the groove is a space ll'which forms a shoulder 15 at the heel of the bend in the wire 7 i A wire is inserted in the hole 6 and is laid in the groove 10 andthe lips 11 are bent and peened over the wire, the lips being preferably formed at their thicker portion with a slight recess 16, as shown in Fig. 3, to make them conform more readily to the curvature of the wire. The space 14: permits the lips to be spread apart at their inner end to permit a wire to be inserted more readily in the hole 6 and also facilitates the proper joining of the lips at their inner ends where-they are the thickest so that at this point the lips will meet and because of their thickness they are of suflicient strength to withstand any pounding action that a trolley. wheel or conductor may have in passing over the splicer.

wire, as shown at the left hand end'in Fig.

2, they outer or thinnest portion of the lips.

It should be noted that when the'lips are in position about a pass smoothly from the wire to the splicer without any perceptible jump or irregularity.

In the form shown by Figs. 5 and 6 a wire receiving bore 17 is provided in a splicer 18 in which the outer end of the bore is in the form of a groove 19 having lips 20 which increase in width and thickness from the outer end and are bendable about the wire in the manner above described, the lips actually meeting at their inner portion 21, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 6, and tapering outwardly toward the tip of the splicer as previously described.

Figs. 7 and 8 showa still different form of splicer 22 with an inclined hole 23 extending as a continuation of a groove 2A, the groove forming bendable lips 25 which increase in width and thickness from the outer end of the splicer and are bent about a wire inserted therein, as previously set forth. In the form shown by Figs. 5 and 6, set screws 26 are employed to fasten the inner end of the wire in position and in the form shown by Figs. 7 and 8 a wedging fastening device 27 is employed for holding the end of the wire. Fig. 9 shows the cross-sectional shape of the lips and the position they take when bent about the wire is shown in dotted outline. In Fig. 10 the shape of the bendable lips at their thicker portion is shown and at this point the lips are formed with a recess 28 which makes them conform more readily to the surface of the wire.

From these difierent forms it will be obvious that the present invention may be applied to a variety of difierentv constructions. The essential featurebeing that a wire receiving groove is formed with bendable lips which may be folded over the wire forming a construction in which the lips are gradually opened up to the full width of the groove at the outer end thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A wire splicer having an open underrun groove formed by a pair of bendable lips, the groove being of a uniform width except at one end where the width rapidly decreases to zero, the lips being joined integrally to the body of the splicer at this point.

2. A wire splicer having an open underrun groove formed by a pair of bendable lips, the groove being of a unlform width except at one end where the width rapidly decreases to zero and the thickness of the lips is gradually increased.

3. wire splicer having an open underrun groove formed by a pair of bendable lips, the groove being of a uniform width from the outer endto a point adjacent the inner end where the lips rapidly converge and increase in thickness joining integrally at this point with the body of the splicer.

4. A trolley wire splicer provided with a groove formed by a pair of depending lips which increase in thickness and abruptly merge at one end of the groove so that the lips may be formed about a wire inserted 1n said groove.

5. A trolley wire splicer provided wlth groove formed by a pair of depending lips which converge and integrally join at one end of the groove and are adapted to be formed about a wire inserted in the groove.

6. A trolley wire splicer provided with a groove formed by a pair of depending lips which converge and integrally oln each other and the body of the splicer at the inner end of the groove.

7. A trolley wire splicer provided with an open trolley wire groove, said groove being formed by a pair of depending lips which diverge from a common meeting point at one end where they are integrally united with the body of the splicer and rapidly open out for a short distance from said meeting point to the full width of the groove, the lips being adapted to be formed about a trolley wire when inserted in the groove.

8. A trolley wire splicer provided with a groove formed by a pair of depending lips which converge and merge into each other at one end of the groove, the thickness of the lips increasing from a point where the lips start to converge to the point where they actually merge into each other.

9. A wire splicer having an under-running open groove formed by a pair of lips which at one and the same end increase in thickness and at the same time converge to a common meeting point and integrally join the body of the splicer.

10. A trolley wire splicer comprising a central part and two oppositely extending portions, each portion being provided with a wire groove formed by a pair of longitudi nally depending lips, each groove terminat ing in a hole extending into the central part,- the said lips forming a wire groove of uniform width to a point adjacent the inner end of the groove where the lips converge to a common point and rapidly increase in thickness, the said lips being adapted to be formed and abutting about a wire and to entirely inclose and protect it at the point where the lips converge.

11. A trolley wire splicer comprising a central part and two oppositely extending portions each provided with a wire groove formed by a pair of depending lips, each groove terminating in a hole extending at an angle into the central portion, the said lips integrally joining each other and rapidly increasing in thickness at their inner ends so that the space between a wire and the lips at the point where the said hole commences will be entirely filled by the thickened converging lips.

12. A wire splicer having an open underrun groove formed by a pair of bendable lips, the groove being of uniform Width except at the inner end Where the Width is abruptly decreased and the lips joined integrally to the body of the splicer.

13. A Wire splicer having an open underrun groove formed by a pair of bendable lips the groove being of uniform Width except at the inner end Where it is abruptly narrowed and the lips are integrally joined.

1A. A trolley Wire splicer comprising a central body portion and extending groove portions each provided with lips forming a wire'groove of uniform Width from the outer end to adjacent the inner end Where the groove is abruptly narrowed and the lips are gradually increased in thickness merging together With the body of the splicer, each groove terminating in a hole extending into the body portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, on this 7th day of Apr., A. D. 1915.

MARK P. WOLCOTT. Witnesses:

J NO. L. YOUNG, C. MARKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

